1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a monitor system for a beverage processing system such as a reverse osmosis water purification system.
2. Description of Related Art
Reverse osmosis (RO) water purification systems are used to purify water. The purified water can be used for drinking water, fabricating silicon wafers and various other applications. RO systems typically have an osmotic membrane that removes impurities from the water. The RO system may also have a pump to push the water through the membrane and a number of filters to remove sediments and other impurities. The purified water is typically stored in a holding tank or pressurized accumulator for subsequent use.
To test the purity of the processed water, some RO systems utilize sensors and accompanying circuitry to measure the resistance of the water at both the inlet and outlet of the osmotic membrane. U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,774 issued to Dolan et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,912 issued to Clack and U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,818 issued to Brown et al, all disclose devices that monitor the quality of water in a water purification system. The prior art water quality monitors typically compare the resistance values to a threshold value. If the relative resistance values exceed the threshold value, an indicator light is illuminated to indicate that the threshold has been exceeded. Illumination of a red light may indicate to the user that the system is not operating properly.
Although monitor systems of the prior art can provide an indication that the overall system is not operating properly, these monitors can not identify which discrete elements of the system have malfunctioned. The poor water quality may be caused by a clogged osmotic membrane, expired carbon filter or degradation of the sediment filter. Repairing the system may require an inspection of numerous components, thereby increasing the time and possibly the cost of fixing the unit. Additionally, the monitors of the prior art do not provide an indication of when the system is about to fail. It would be desirable to initiate preventative maintenance on an RO unit before a system failure. System failure may result in an extended period of non-use.
It would be desirable to provide a water purification monitor system that can determine the working status of each element of the system and to provide an indication to the user of the status. It would also be desirable to remotely monitor the various characteristics of the purification system, so that system errors can be remotely diagnosed, and preventive maintenance can be initiated without periodic on-site inspection.